Dementia Rates Show Signs of Decline

Posted By Mount Carmel Assisted Living || 22-Nov-2016

A study indicates the proportion of elderly individuals developing
dementia is failing the United States.

Data from approximately 21,057 people over 65 years old in the U.S. showed
the proportion with dementia declined from 11.6% in 2000 to 8.8% in 2012.
The findings were published in the journal
JAMA Internal Medicine.

How Education Protects the Brain

The studies have also shown that higher levels of education protect the
brain from obtaining the disease. While the dementia rate declined, the
average time older adults had spent in school or university increased
from 11.8 years in 2000 to 12.7 years in 2012.

It might be possible that education’s mental challenges help shield
the brain cells from dying later in life. Once neurons begin to die, education
helps the rest of the brain rewire and compensate for the loss in order
to prevent dementia symptoms from developing.

In addition, good physical health is another deterrent of dementia. However,
studies have demonstrated that levels of diabetes, high blood pressure,
and obesity all increased between 2000 and 2012. Perhaps, improved medication
reduced the negative of these diseases.

The following are helpful ways to reduce your chances of getting dementia
at an older age:

Access to education

Good physical health

Vaccinations

Medical care

Not smoking

While this latest study can be viewed as good news, dementia remains one
of the greatest medical challenges to overcome. The focus now is to better
understand the factors that underlie this trend and transcribe that knowledge
into interventions that can reduce the risk of dementia overall.